A SAINTS TEARS

August is the month to watch the night skies for meteor showers.  I remember years ago, our Mother Frances of Rome (deceased)  lying on the lawn at night watching the heavens. In any given year, when the dark heavens cooperate, the Perseids could peak at 50 to 100 shooting stars an hour. This year, the International Meteor Organization thinks that number may increase to about 150 meteors an hour. Other astronomers are calling for up to 200 meteors an hour.

The meteors are called the Perseids because the point from which they appear to hail (called the radiant) lies in the constellation Perseus. (In Greek mythology, Perseus  is the greatest Greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles). The Perseid Shower, are given this name because the fireballs seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus,

Many people called these meteors “ shooting stars”, but they are not stars, rather they are fragments falling off comets. They light up when the friction of entering earth’s atmosphere at a high speed ignites them. Most burn off by the time they reach the earth, though there have been, of course, some well known meteor strikes.

These showers are also known as the TEARS of ST. LAWRENCE because the event takes place on and around the August 10 feast day of the third-century deacon and martyr.  

St. Lawrence was in charge of Church goods and distributing alms to the poor. The Roman emperor Valerian had many bishops, priests and deacons put to death under his rule. Other Christians were forced to hand over their “riches” and sent into exile. When Lawrence was asked turn over the money in his care, he presented the poor, suffering people of his town, proclaiming them as the true treasures of the Church. He was executed in AD 258 by being roasted alive over an open fire. (He is said to have quipped, “I’m done on this side, turn me over.”)

As his mourners were carrying the body of Lawrence away, they gazed into the night and saw fiery streaks across the sky. As if the heavens were crying over his body, the Perseid meteor shower is sometimes referred to as “The Tears of St. Lawrence”. 

You can go out to watch any night beginning August 9-10, if it’s not cloudy, but the peak night should be August 11-12. Get away from artificial lights as much as possible and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Sit facing Perseus in the north-east), but let your eyes wander around the heavens. You’ll see comets darting through the sky from every direction. The best view of a meteor shower comes from the unaided eye – no telescope or binoculars required. While the action starts after 9 PM , they increase after 11:00 pm. You can be sure I will be on our deck-not lying on the lawn- watching for the tears of this great saint!